1990s Rockers You Didn't Know Were Latino
Everyone wants a chunk of the $1 trillion Latino market these days. Latino votes are in high demand.
But it's not as if Latinos weren't around back in the 1990s, when fewer people cared who we were. And we weren't only listening to salsa, bachata and norteño either. Latinos played key roles in some of the most prominent rock acts of the 1990s, when grunge, alternative, and metal ruled the airwaves and MTV determined bands' commercial viability.
It shouldn't be surprising. California and New York -- home to massive Latino communities with long histories in the area -- were two of the major centers where the industry cultivated its talent.
Still, some identify with their Latino roots more than others. Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha penned the Chicano anthem "People of the Sun" and lashed out at U.S. imperialism in Nicaragua in "Vietnow." Guitarist Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, on the other hand, said he grew up removed from Spanish. Instead, he told NBC Latino in an interview that he's "just as influenced by the hip-hop culture as I am Latino culture as I am by the rock and tattooing culture. I honestly look at myself as a living entity on planet earth."
Whatever role their culture played in their music, check out these 7 Latino rockers from the 1990s in the slideshow above.